File:Horten Ho229 V3 ‘T2-490’ - 51175415164.jpg

The Ho229 was a jet-powered all-wing fighter/bomber intended for Luftwaffe service during WW2. Through a series of research gliders, Horten had successfully proved that ‘flying-wing’ aircraft were practical and this was to be their first operational design. It was a single-seat twin-jet armed with either cannons or a bomb load of 2,200lb. The first prototype, the H.IX V1, was successfully flown as a glider, with the first flight taking place on 1st March 1944. The second aircraft, the H.IX V2, was powered by two Junkers Jumo 004B turbojets , but problems with the supply of engines meant it did not fly until 2nd February 1945. It carried out two successful test flights during which it showed that it handled well and had the potential to reach very high speeds, but crashed on its third flight after an engine failed and caught fire. This is the third prototype, the V-3, and was to be the first to carry armament, but it was not completed before the end of the war. It was built at the Gothaer Waggonfabrik (Gotha) factory in Friedrichroda, and is therefore technically a Go229, although it is usually referred to as the Ho229. Although incomplete, it was shipped to the United States for and given the Foreign Evaluation identity FE-490, which was later changed to T2-490. It arrived at Silver Hill, Maryland, for storage in 1952 and was officially transferred to the Smithsonian Institute in 1960. Preserved in an unrestored condition, it is seen on display in the Steven F. Udvar Hazy Center as part of the National Air and Space Museum. Washington Dulles International Airport, Chantilly, Virginia